Chapter 609： bonfire dinner

"A certain Hogwarts Rune Professor (

Around the last week of July, several big things happened.

First, the Ministry of Magic officially announced the lifting of the state of war. At this point, the stone hanging in the air finally fell to the ground. Even the wizarding people, who had been celebrating secretly for a while, could not contain their excitement and joy. They took to the streets again to cheer for peace, because it meant that the Ministry of Magic had come to an official conclusion and marked the end of the war.

Also released is the investigation and forensics of wizard criminals who committed crimes during the war.

Some pureblood families sighed in relief.

The second event surprised all those who heard it for the first time, and had a wider influence - Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, voluntarily resigned as president of the International Confederation of Wizards because of his age. job title.

"It's no wonder," Hagrid said gruffly, he was sitting on the sofa in the living room of Black's old house, and he took up two seats by himself, "Those eaters kept on appealing at the international conference, saying how much they had suffered, the net It's bullshit! The time that the mysterious man was raging outside didn't add up to two months."

"What do they all ask for?" Bill asked.

"A lot," said Mr. Weasley, wiping his glasses, "as you know, the You-Know-Who first stole the snakewood wand from the Ilvermorny School and killed their headmaster at the school gate; after a period of silence, Once again he's haunted, robbing the treasures of various countries--"

"Gringotts alone lost a lot," Bill interjected.

"—Yes," said Mr. Weasley, "it can be seen that the mysterious man is extremely interested in those rumored powerful magical items, such as the invisibility cloak that has been circulating for thousands of years, the undead mask of Africa, the coffin of the **** of death in Egypt, The elven springs of northern Europe..."

"Really there are these things?" Harry, who had been listening silently, asked aloud, "I thought it was all fake, like, like—" He and Ron looked at each other, and Ron murmured: " It's like a fairy tale."

"Almost," said Mr. Weasley, frowning. "I doubt there's anything in there that matches the big name, it's all—all blown. But the problem is, now that these things are gone, find Not coming..."

"Gone?" Mundungus repeated in a low voice, with greedy and cunning eyes flashing in his eyes, "Will it be hidden by a mysterious person? There is a huge treasure in some corner of England?"

"It could have been destroyed, or lost," Bill said. "Remember that time in Switzerland? In a black market, the goblin leader there claimed to have vampire fangs that could put people in a state of suspended animation. It turned out to be the teeth of a werewolf, and the mysterious people who ran for nothing started killing, and only a few survived..."

Mundungus let out a voice that was a mixture of ridicule and sympathy.

"Obviously, the mysterious man wanted the real thing, and the old goblin hit the iron plate."

"But Voldemort still took a lot of treasure, didn't he?" Harry asked. "Maybe that means those things are real, or at least effective."

Bill shrugged.

"I guess it's more likely that the mysterious person can't judge the truth for a while, and needs to go back and study it carefully, which is a delicate job. But... we can only guess, anyway, we found a few collections in the end - from Bellat On Rix Lestrange."

"Ah," said Ron.

"Yeah, those third-rate tabloids with noses and eyes, headed by Rita Skeeter, hype up the incestuous love between the Dark Lord and his most loyal followers... nonsense, they really should have seen that woman turn out in the end. What the **** did it look like..."

"I heard..." Mundungus said in a low voice, "It was Hai Keke at first—Mr. Hep discovered her, just on the edge of the battlefield where Dumbledore and You-Know-Who fought, hundreds of feet deep into the ground... "

"Don't make bad ideas," warned Mr. Weasley kindly.

"I know--how dare I," mumbled Mundungus, "Mr. Hepp is a great alchemist himself, and he has inherited Nick Lemay's fortune, so how can he look at all the rubbish..." Although so Said, but he knew that Haipu was very interested in old things, and he planned to ask after a while, if Mr. Haipu planned to 'sell the stolen goods', he wouldn't mind going back to his old business and doing some dirty work for others Work hard and earn the difference.

Isn't that what those big men need is someone like him...

"In addition to the recovery of stolen goods, I heard that there were some small countries who heard that the mysterious man was not dead, and asked to join the trial. In short, the scene was messy. Oh, by the way, didn't an international Auror team also set up at that time, death A lot? These are all questions.”

At two or three in the afternoon, more and more people came.

Some stayed to chat, some said hello and went to the Burrow through the fireplace.

As the war came to an end, the Order of the Phoenix also fulfilled its mission. They had volunteered for a noble mission, and now it is time to go silent again, just as they did at the end of the first war.

Before parting, they planned to have a bonfire party.

"Are we going to dance in the living room with torches?" Tonks asked cheerfully. "I don't mind—"

"I don't mind either," Sirius said, "but this is a place to chat, and the formal banquet is over at the Burrow. I just took a look, Molly's group is busy, and I came out by chopping wood. Breathe in."

"Mom must have kept everyone around." Ron sighed understandingly.

"Don't say that," said Mr. Weasley, with a hint of reproach. "Your mother was so happy, she kept saying it was God's blessing that no one in the family was hurt—"

"Then what am I?" said Ron indignantly. "I still have the Cruciatus scar on my chest."

"No, you didn't," Harry said subconsciously.

The people in the room laughed cheerfully, and Harry came back to it and apologized to Ron again and again.

Tonks also smiled and said to Lupin, who was holding his arms: "I'll go over there to see, what can I do to help... my dear."

Lupin smiled and nodded, watching her disappear into the fireplace, his face became sad, Sirius came over and put him on his shoulder, and said loudly: "Don't think too much! Today is a happy day, and I and I Harry's planning a trip in August, want to relax? He's also written a book..."

"You wrote a book?" Hagrid growled.

"You wrote a book?" Ron's eyes widened.

Harry glared at Sirius, and he promised not to say it! But Sirius had already taken his good buddy upstairs and said that he would like to have a good drink. Harry nodded naively amid the interest of the crowd.

"About what?" Bill asked with interest.

"The Patronus." Harry said dully, not only the Patronus, but also his thoughts on other aspects, such as disarming spells, lighting, Rune magic, Quidditch flight, and understanding of combat, and even With the knowledge he had received from Voldemort's mind, the thought that came to him in the days before his holiday, if death was waiting for him in the not too distant future, he would at least do something and leave something behind.

It's just that what he is most sure of is the Patronus Charm, and it is more confident to say it.

Harry sighed in relief without hearing the snicker.

At this time, Mr. Weasley said with a smile: "I heard that the examiners of the Examination Authority have made a lot of trouble this year. Except for Harry's subversive understanding of Patronus magic, no one dares to make a conclusion. There are also many students who have written the knowledge of rune spells that have not yet been announced, causing many examiners to scratch their heads."

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, eager to divert the conversation away from the dangerous waters, though he saw the look in Ron's eyes and knew he'd ask sooner or later—because Ron was the most People who know him, even better than Sirius.

"It is not difficult to understand if you think about it carefully, the ancient Rune subject is changing with each passing day, and many research results are completed by students. I heard that more than half of the people invited to the Ancient Rune Yearbook in mid-August are under the age of 20. "

Harry and Ron clicked their tongues.

"Have you been invited?"

"I got it." The two said honestly.

"That's it."

Mr. Weasley and Bill sat for a while and left, and then Sirius pulled Remus, who had a ruddy face, and left, Harry and Ron stayed here, watching the time pass, and finally, in the foyer of the old house There was a commotion, and then they heard Hermione's voice.

She rushed in like a gust of wind.

"Harry! Ron! Oh, how was your holiday?" Hermione was beaming with joy, and said in a burst of fire, "I just returned home two days ago, and I'm doing an internship in Sword Castle. I almost forgot the time. The stuff is so fascinating, I didn't expect the things I found to be so useful... oh, by the way, how's your grades—"

Harry and Ron smiled at each other.

"I knew you were going to ask that question."

"exchange."

Harry dug out a crumpled envelope from his pocket, unfolded it, and Hermione and Ron leaned over to look at it.

Common Wizarding Rank Exam Results

Passing grades: Excellent (O); Good (E); Pass (A);

Unqualified grades: poor (P); very poor (D); very poor (T);

Harry James Potter scores are as follows:

Astronomy: A

Protecting Magical Creatures: E

Charms: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic :D

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

Ancient Rune: O

...

"Tsk, even if I've seen it, I still find it unbelievable. Those are five excellent." Ron shook his head and said.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Conjuration, Ancient Rune..." Hermione thought for a while and said, "You're fully qualified for the Auror's certificate."

"In a word, Harry has performed at a high level in all subjects that are related to practice. Me too." Ron frowned, "It will make us look like we have developed limbs... I really want to break this rule."

Harry smiled, very satisfied with his grades.

"Ron, how about you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm about the same as Harry, except for the difference in Potions, I got a good one." Ron shrugged, "Maybe I won't be able to get into Snape's advanced class, that's just fine."

"Oh, uh," Hermione said cautiously, "you can take the exam again this year...don't give up, even for the Auror's dream."

But instead of any disappointment on Ron's face, he was beaming with joy.

"Have you forgotten?" he said happily, "Harry and I are full members of the Alliance Against the Dark Arts, and they won't refuse to write a letter or two of introduction... I got the best results, and I don't have to go to Sri Lanka. Nep's class has not had any effect yet!"

Hermione pursed her lips, but didn't raise any objections. They had discussed this issue a long time ago, and in the end, no one was convinced.

"How about you, Hermione?"

"Oh, okay," Hermione whispered.

"Come on! Just tell us which exam you didn't do well," said Ron, and Hermione opened her mouth. "All excellent!?" Ron shouted, "Aren't you satisfied?" Hermione shook her head hurriedly, her eyes curved into crescents.

They packed up, locked the door, and walked through the fireplace to the Burrow. As soon as they came out, they were pulled away by the twins Sirius and Weasley. "Come and help, we are busy, and we have to arrange spells around the venue. If we can't finish it, there will be no food to eat."

"Defensive Charm?" Harry asked incomprehensibly, was it necessary?

"Muggle Repelling Charm," Fred said with a grin, "We're going to make some big noise tonight, in order to prevent anyone in the village from curiously looking for it..."

They came to the orchard, Charlie, Bill and Lupin were setting up their tent, Fleur leaned slouched beside Bill, "Honey, what do you think we did at our wedding? But add a small fountain, and an ice crystal statue... …”

Ginny stretched her face, and when she saw Harry and the others approaching, she breathed a sigh of relief, ran over and pretended to chant the spell.

Everyone was separated. Fred and George seemed to have found a goblin hole. They squatted on the ground and asked, "Is anyone home? I lost some fruit..."

Harry and Sirius got together and Harry whispered, "What did you talk to Remus about?"

"My lord's annoyance." Sirius waved his wand lazily.

"Let's hear it," said Harry.

"Ah, you know Kreacher?"

Harry nodded.

"Thanks to the genius brain of our Mr. Hepp, Kreacher found the exact location of Bellatrix, but it's not over yet, with the death of my cousin, Kreacher has lost his master again... …”

"Well, so he's free?" Harry guessed.

"You've reached the essence, but it's not that easy," Sirius said. "According to the tradition of the Black family, Kreacher automatically belongs to the next member of the line of succession, which is Narcissa Black."

Harry's eyes widened and he couldn't help shouting, "How about that? Look how they treat Dobby!"

"Yeah, so Felix came to the door, and the family relinquished the inheritance very sensibly, so... well, Kreacher fell on Narcissa's sister, who is Tonks' mother."

"Felix didn't expect it either, but luckily they're all acquaintances. Remus came to explain the situation—"

"There's something wrong? They won't let them go?"

"That's not true. Their family is very friendly, and they kept Remus for dinner." Sirius said slightly bitterly, "But Tonks was there that day, and they noticed that their daughter's attitude was different. , I can't hide my daughter's emotional problems, they 'little' quarreled." His thumb and index finger were almost close to each other, leaving only a gap.

Harry took a light breath, avoiding Ginny's gaze, and gesturing.

"Wolfman?"

"Yeah," Sirius whispered, "Actually, judging from Tonks' state, she has the confidence to convince her parents. The problem is Remus, who is under a lot of pressure. You may not know that the descendants of werewolves are There is a chance of being inherited, just a chance, but Remus...he can't bear the price."

For the rest of the time, Harry was absent-minded throughout, glancing at Remus from time to time, smiling softly as he set up a huge tent with the others, using Transfiguration to conjure tables, chairs, and benches. Even if Voldemort falls, everyone has their own troubles.

Like Harry himself, he was avoiding Ginny, not knowing how to respond to the feeling.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the dinner officially started.

Hundreds of wizards were sitting under huge tents made of wooden stakes, and people kept Apparating over, and Harry finally saw Aunt Muriel who Ron was talking about. She had an aquiline nose and red eyes. Pink feather hat, looks bad-tempered.

As soon as she came, she found fault with the table, chairs and the decoration on it, "Look at this tablecloth, it hasn't been washed for many years, it smells bad..."

"Actually, Fred made it with a skunk. There's not enough stuff in the house," Ron whispered to Harry, who quickly jumped aside, making up his mind not to take any food from that table.

Aunt Muriel noticed them.

"Harry Potter? Yeah, I see scars, lucky boy, can your scars glow?" Harry frowned, dissatisfied with the statement. But the old witch turned her attention to Ron, "It's not as lucky as he is, I'll tell you that, when I found out that I heard the name of the Weasley's youngest son from the old sisters, I knew it. How much water is there in the rumors... The black devil can't beat two small beans?"

She was nagging, and when she pretended to be mysterious to Ron about how much the Merlin Medal cost, both of them couldn't hold back their anger. Hermione kept interrupting, but Muriel Said she had "too convex teeth and too messy hair."

"Let me see your ankle, little girl." Hermione stepped aside angrily, when the rescue finally arrived.

"Aunt Muriel? We're looking for you everywhere!"

Fred and George fell from the sky, nearly taking her away.

"What a touching brotherhood." Ron said with emotion.

They took a seat (far away from Muriel and the table covered with the skunk tablecloth) and sat down, plates of food fell from the sky, beautiful music played, and the dinner began.

People were clearly not focused on eating, there was buzzing and loud laughter everywhere, Harry turned his head to look around, Fred and George were juggling Fleur's French relatives, and the table was full of people. Young people, so their jokes have a market.

"Let me put it this way, if Uncle Billiers was still around, he'd pour himself a whole bottle of Firewhisky in one go, and then he'd run to the dance floor, pull up his robes, pull out bunch after bunch of flowers, and just From his—well, you know—”

Harry also found that Aunt Muriel was placed at the table of a distant relative of the Weasleys, and she spoke loudly about the similarities between 'goblins and the Weasleys', but no one was willing to join, There seemed to be ice on their faces. From his angle, Mafalda could see Mafalda resting her chin with one hand, her head half tilted, the other hand hidden under the table, and flinging a dazzling flurry of sparks with her wand.

Harry also saw a few classmates.

Neville was caught by a fierce-looking old wizard on his way to them, and he waved desperately to Harry's side, followed his great-uncle, and Ron shrank his neck and muttered: "The elders all over the world are the same, look at it, we may be able to see Neville spitting fire rings in a while!"

Across the table from them, Tonks, Lupin, Hagrid, and Sirius sat together. Apparently, a lot of people were suspicious of getting up close and personal with Hagrid, perhaps because his hands could pull their heads off like grapes.

"A new professor at school?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, Bagshot," replied Hagrid, brandishing a pair of lobster claws.

Harry asked concerned, "How is he now, I mean, how is he?"

"I don't know—" Hagrid frowned. "It's okay, but he doesn't come out very much. I've seen him a few times in the auditorium—but occasionally I can see him basking on the second-floor balcony."

Harry was slightly reassured that Professor Hepp had been vaguely speaking to him, as if he was deliberately having fun, even though he didn't know what the fun was.

"Has the new professor found it?" Ron asked in disappointment, "I thought I couldn't recruit anyone, and Sirius can go back!" His voice was a little loud, and Sirius turned his head and smiled when he heard it: "Teacher Your year has exhausted me enough, and I haven't rested enough yet."

"Sirius?" Hermione couldn't help asking. "How does Animagus feel?"

"Yes," Ron's eyes lit up, "you promised that as long as you get the best, you will tell us how to practice Animagus!"

"Oh, can't wait?" Sirius said slowly, taking a look at them, "You are barely qualified, but don't worry, go to Felix for detailed knowledge, I won't mix, but I can Let me tell you something to watch out for..."

In Harry's view, Sirius was more about showing off than imparting experience.

"...from the full moon, you have to put a mandrake blade in your mouth, until the next full moon, you can't spit it out in the middle, think about it, you may fail to talk in your sleep, this is just The first step. But James and I found a way to use a stun spell, add a petrification spell... but it can only control the night, for a while, James likes to tell jokes to people..."

Hermione listened carefully, touching the beaded packet several times, as if to take notes, but she held it back.

"Sounds troublesome," said Ron, frowning, clearly wanting to back off.

Harry also felt that it was not worth it. After all, Animagus could only become an ordinary animal. He suddenly thought of Professor Haipu, who could become a Swift, but the professor denied that he had learned Animagus...

He thought, it would be very convenient if he could turn into a bird, but what kind of animal Animagus transforms into is uncontrollable, maybe he tried his best, and finally found himself turned into a toad, then Harry would definitely die of boredom. .

Immediately, his mood fell, and with the mountain of Horcrux pressing down, it seemed that he didn't need to spend time learning new knowledge.

At this time, Sirius put his head close, approached the three and lowered his voice and said, "Trust me, it's definitely worth the money, once you learn Animagus, the door of Transfiguration will be completely opened to you... Transfiguration Half of the class is about human deformation, and if you know Animagus, you'll find yourself at home."

He blinked, sat up straight and said, "That's how my N.E.W.Ts certificate came about. Actually, I didn't put much effort into it at all."

...

"There are so many people here." Hermione said, looking around.

Harry shook his head slightly, and he said softly, "The Order of the Phoenix is ​​disbanding."

"Disbanded?" Hermione was taken aback at first, she had just heard the news, and then slowly turned around, "It is true... Voldemort has fallen, but where are they going?" Hermione looked at the coming and going Busy Man, Dedalo Digger, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones...

"There's always a place to go. As far as I know - Remus back to Sword Castle, Tonks and Kingsley back to the Ministry of Magic, heard that Lady Burns invited Neville's parents to be Aurors, but they refused, I'm going to open a small shop... Alastor, who was originally retired, has become an Auror instructor, but he no longer has a mission; in short, each has his own way of living."

"That's right," Lupin agreed. "Voldemort's downfall will only make life better for us."

Halfway through the party, Ms. Burns appeared in a hurry, smiling decently at everyone she saw, but in the blink of an eye, she found an opportunity to drag Hermione away.

By the time Harry and Ron saw Hermione again, they were almost done eating.

"You guys have been talking for a long time, can't the Ministry of Magic wait to recruit you?" said Ron teasingly, still laughing at Hermione's awkwardness about her grades.

"Well," Hermione said, "it's not about my grades. But she does want me to go to the Ministry of Magic after I graduate—"

"Which department?" Harry asked with interest.

"I'm guessing it could be Assistant Minister, that's the best position," said Ron, looking at Hermione uncertainly.

Hermione shook her head, "It's the Department of Management and Control of Magical Creatures."

"That's one of the worst options out there, Hermione." Ron said in surprise. "The people in there are either handed out, or they really like those Fantastic Beasts..." He glanced in disbelief. Hagrid in the distance, "Maybe Hagrid genuinely likes certain positions, but I bet he'll break the ribs of his colleagues in three days—those executioners..."

"Not what you think." Hermione shook her head. "She talked to me about S.P.E.W.—" "What?" Harry and Ron shouted in unison. "—Don't interrupt, and the Pan-Magic Alliance, you know, I've written a few papers... She hinted to me that the Ministry of Magic will form a new department around this in the future."

"Oh my God," Ron said softly.

"But why?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It is said to be related to a report submitted by Professor Hepp," Hermione said softly. "I heard anxiety and caution in her tone."

"Yeah, she's starting to ask students for help," Ron said. "You still have two years to graduate."

"Ms. Burns said it would take until the trial and the awards were over to prepare for this, which could take months." Hermione said with enthusiasm: "She suggested that I have time to think more about it. and keep in touch with her... oh, I guess whatever the professor's report is about, it must mean a lot."

Clusters of bonfires were lit and circled around the tent. The sky is clear and starry.

There was dancing around the campfire and Harry leaned in and swayed, until he heard Aunt Muriel say he was dancing "like a bear who stole corn" and he moved to the other side of the tent to watch Neville perform the Fire Charm. .

The bright, glowing white flames elicited applause, and Harry followed the crowd to applaud.

Luna and her father danced merrily in the distance, dressed in pale yellow like two limp butterflies, and stood out by the campfire, and Cedric sat with his parents, smiling and watching.

Ron was chatting with Collins, who had come with Ms. Burns.

"I'm going to be an official Auror soon," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, congratulations," said Ron dryly.

Harry keenly noticed that a few people were missing, and he shared the idea with Hermione, who was alone.

"The Malfoys, Professor Snape, Professor Hape, Headmaster Dumbledore...they didn't come. I can understand the first two, but why didn't Professor Hape and Headmaster Dumbledore show up? It shouldn't be. …”

Hermione couldn't give a reason.

"Maybe something happened?" she said softly, "I haven't seen the professor in Sword Castle these days, but I think the opportunity will come soon."

"What's the matter?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Ancient Rune Yearbook, and the 'Future World' company have a major event recently. The professor will definitely be there." Hermione said firmly.

Harry thought of Voldemort, maybe he was holding most of their attention?

A picture came to his mind: two people are now in a cave with cold wind, or some eerie cell, chatting with Voldemort who is tied up... think about it this way him The resentment buried deep in my heart is not so great.

His fate had nothing to do with these people. If he had to hate him, he could only hate Voldemort alone.

But there is a slight deviation between the truth and his thoughts.

Felix was sitting casually at the school table, bickering with Grindelwald for a while, especially after he delivered Harry's greetings to the old man. It doesn't look good anywhere.

Professor McGonagall has a deep understanding of the rebellious character of his new colleague, and he is no stranger to it. Today, for example, they talked about the Hogwarts school system.

"Too backward and too closed," said Grindelwald, eyes half-closed, "Half a century ago, someone spent nearly a decade perfecting a 'Wizard's Code,' which confronts the rights of wizards and obligations have made detailed specifications, and the foundation of the foundation is school education..."

"Professor Bagshot," said Professor McGonagall in dissatisfaction. She couldn't shut herself up when it came to Hogwarts' honor, but said fiercely, "Maybe I'm ignorant—but I've never heard of this law."

"Because it never circulated in England, and it suffered a devastating blow abroad." Grindelwald raised his voice slightly and said calmly: "And another reason is that the code has another name. , a name not allowed to exist, a name erased by history, the Grindelwald Code."

"Hi!" Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, her fork dropped on the plate, her eyes widened, "Mr. Bagshot, we never mention this person!"

"Never mention it," Grindelwald repeated in a low voice, slowly raising his goblet. "Can you see the whole world when you close your eyes, ma'am?"